


Dragging On Now

by BrightDarkness_2013



Series: Nothing But Water [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-08-30 20:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8547355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightDarkness_2013/pseuds/BrightDarkness_2013
Summary: It's been awhile since Prowl left and Jazz is still struggling to find what he wants to do with his life. Then boats start getting attacked by the bridge. It seemed things were just as they were supposed to be for about two seconds before the water broke.





	1. My Disaster Spread To Another Work So I Can Explore

**Author's Note:**

> It was a nice ending in the last one and I didn't want to ruin it... Well now it's a series. A series without one chapter stories...

We were on the ledge under the bridge. Going by boat was too much of a risk from what had been going on at the moment. So here we were just scouting the area out. The water crashed and churned weakly around the support structures making it all the more difficult to see what lay below the surface. Everything was far too quiet considering what had been going on. Blurr was pacing the other side with Arcee while Mirage and I went at a much more casual pace. Just searching for any sign of the mers causing the chaos. Then I caught a glimpse of something. Just a flash of muted white and soft black. My heart nearly leaped from my chest.  
“Prowl?” My voice was soft as I kneeled near the edge.  
I was caught between my amazement that he was alive and came back and how he could possibly be the cause of such destruction. Damn. If only I had some m&ms. I took a moment before I whistled a quiet tune. Cautiously I dipped my fingers in the water to snap a few times before drawing them back out. It wouldn’t do for me to be wrong and losing my hand in the process. There was cautious movement below the surface and I instinctively drew back a little. Reports suggested more that one. Even if Prowl was back that meant that there was one or more that didn’t know me and would probably act aggressively to my entering their space.  
“Prowl? Ya down there, Prowler?”  
There was nothing for a time and I had began to lose hope when a dual colored mer settled just under the surface. Still and cautious. The much more noticeable red that lined his tail fin came into view for a second and I found my hope replenished. I couldn’t keep myself from grinning.  
“Prowl. Hey there pal.” I greeted as I touched the top of the water with my fingertips.  
He glided around my hand and to the ledge where he popped up cautiously. I could see Blurr and Arcee stop to watch us on the other side and the way he glanced to my right every so often I knew Mirage was as well.  
“So you’ve been causing trouble lately, huh?” I setted more casually on the edge. “I really thought ya weren’t going to come back. I’m happy and all that ya did, but attacking people is just going to make things worse for ya. Keep this up and you’ll end up hurt again.”  
I could hear Mirage talking to someone quietly via phone or walkie talkie. Prowl glanced around every once in awhile. I couldn’t tell if he was just wary of the others or if he was searching for Blaster. He didn’t look as bad off as I thought he would. Most definitely underfed, but he looked ok. It felt good to know he was ok and be able to talk to him again.  
“Blaster’s not here. He’s doing whatever it is Blaster’s do. He’s still on that path to marine biologist though. So anyway ya don’t look like you’re starving to death yet. A little thinner maybe, but it looks like you’ve been managing.”  
I ghosted my fingers along an earfin to test the waters. He didn’t flinch away or try and swipe at me so I closed the rest of the distance. Things were just as they were supposed to be for about two seconds before the water broke and I was throwing myself back and out of the way of a large black and white mer. He had way more black and was far more aggressive. This one was, I had no doubt trying to rip my head off. Mirage was at my side in a second and Prowl with a hiss lunged at the other mer. My heart was pounding and the water gave nothing away as to what was happening below it. The sounds however did. Distorted growls and yelps just reached the surface. Then the water was slowly giving off shades of red. The water thrashed and then it just stopped.  
4444444444444444444444 The Fours Are Infiltrating The Government!444444444444  
I was struggling with the question of whether or not I had killed my friend as we pulled an angry mer out of the water to be loaded onto the truck and taken to the facility. It was covered in slashes and bite marks and I had to guess that Prowl was in a similar condition. However the sneaky and clever mer he was, he was gone. No clue as to where he went, but thankfully Blaster had a brain that wasn’t riddled with worry and guilt and had pointed us in the direction of the cove. And low and behold he was curled up on the perch. He had his own gashes and the most we got were some low growls and whimpers. It had been much easier to catch him than last time. Ratchet had about beat my head in and screamed my ear off for being stupid after he and Aid went to work in taking care of the two winged mers. However I didn’t mind too much. I didn’t care so long as Prowl would be alright.  
I sighed as I touched my forehead to the glass. “I really hope I didn’t get ya killed.”  
Prowl was in one of the quarantine tanks and the other mer was in another in the next room. He hadn’t given even the slightest hint of waking since he was moved in.  
“He’s not as bad as the other one. I think he’ll be fine.” Blaster added his own sigh to the silence. “So what did you do that made them fight?”  
“I don’t know. One minute I was talking to Prowl and the next that other one was trying to rip out my intestines.”  
“Well you must’ve done something. From what I understand so far they’re thinking their siblings. It makes sense that they’d fight prior to this when trying to decide an alpha after mourning, but This was not about dominance nor are fights for the new alpha position this bloody or damaging. So again… What did you do?”  
“I was just talking to him. Petting his ear fin. Ya know the usual.”  
“Yeah… You fucked up.”  
“What? How?”  
“You don’t just go and touch a mer. You know this. It was probably just trying protect him you idiot.”  
“Well thanks. That means a lot. You’re such a Great friend.”  
“I know.”


	2. Welp I'm Late! Again!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl escapes the tank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more about mers and basic information and a heads up on the situation.

Prowl was shunning me. He did however shift over to the side of tank when Blaster came by. Then when I came by he’d turn around. This was not how I wanted things to go when I saw him again. I suppose I did get him locked up in a confined tank. At least he didn’t straight up jet to the other side and eye me warily like he did with everyone else.  
The water was filled with dissolved supplements and medication to boost his immune system and help him to heal. Everything that went in was checked and double checked including food much like for the other one in the next room. However at least Prowl ate and rested. The other would pace despite his wounds and refused to eat anything we offered him. Fish was a no. Shellfish didn’t even result in any investigation. Cleaning out the decaying fish was troublesome with how aggressive he acted. He snapped at anything that entered to try and clean the tank. Lunged at the sides when anyone got too close. Ratchet was pissed that we had to drug him each time we had to clean the tank almost as much as the fact that he kept reopening his wounds. Aid was worrying over the possibility of infection and starvation.  
I was sure Ratchet was getting close to the point of suggesting we tie him down and shove the fish down his throat. After a time Arcee suggested that we just don’t even offer food for a few days if he was just going to refuse it and boost his probability of infection. That was a straight up no and a lecture from here to hell and back. Then Eric, a.k.a. Mirage suggested live ‘prey’ to add some familiarity to the ocean. However that was ejected over the fact that there was no way he was going to be able to catch anything in his state even if it was a confine space. It was a good idea, but encouraging him to move was not. We were officially running out of options and force feeding was quickly climbing up the list.  
Prowl was healing fine, but he wouldn’t be returning to the ocean anytime soon. Even if the other started cooperating and healed they wouldn’t be able to survive long out there. Then there was the fact that they would no doubt return to the bridge to cause trouble. It was where their nest had been and they all seemed pretty convinced that they were trying to take back the area. They did have nowhere else to go and it was hard to find a safe place to build a nest as it was and to find another when they only had one other pod member was suicide. They were stuck by the shore. The only other option was to try and merge one broken pod with another.  
However that was harder than it sounded. A broken pod was wary and adding just one member was difficult as it was. Putting two different pods together was much harder. Sometimes it worked and other times, which tended it be more often, it did not and ended in a fierce fight if there wasn’t enough space. That was the reason there was one main tank that was nearly three times as large as a standard tank in the back that was commonly called the merger. Well Blurr called it the bloodbath behind Ratchets back. It usually kept them from fighting over territory in a new space. If they separated themselves from each other for longer than a two week period without any sign of curiosity of the other or others or showed too much aggression in that time it was a pretty clear indication that they weren’t willing to merge.  
So far it was clear Geminus Avium or the dual winged mers that formed trines would not join a pod. They flat out refused to and only merged with others of its kind. Magis Avium or the winged would merge with practically any pod if accepted from both sides from what they had seen over the years. Very few pods that held a winged mer would rarely have more than one. Magis Parvus or the minis as they were dubbed would either be in a pod of just minis or they would seek out larger mer pods. Fractura Videte on the other hand were even smaller and they had a different relationship and were much easier. They would hatch together and stick together and find a larger mer in another pod and would obey only that mer from the pod. Latching on until ordered to assist in some way such as herding prey out of small areas and would be given a portion of the meal. There were other types like the practically mythical titans that had barely been seen in even passing and accidents. However the other types were pretty easy going and were willing to mix and match most of the time.  
Nothing was going to happen, no merging, if Prowls pod mate over in the next room kept acting the way he was. Then things just got worse. He had just froze for a second, ear fins twitching, before he started whistling and howling loudly. Then Prowl had gotten active. Testing the tank and swimming up to the top and peeking out before going back under before whistling back in a more subdued manner. The constant noise from the larger one was giving everyone a headache and was just an annoyance for a time. It wouldn’t do to put them together in such a cramped area and we couldn’t just double the dosage in the tank. It would be too much for one of them, most likely Prowl, and getting them high and causing damage was not the goal. We could handle the sounds and deal with the situation until we could put them together. That is before Prowl had decided to leap up onto the feeding stand and drag himself down the steps and to the door that led to the next room where he clawed at it in frustration until someone came.  
We had put them together after some debate. After treating Prowl from new scrapes from the stairs of course. Neither one would get enough from a single dose, but Ratchet had just sighed and said he’d work something out with Aid. No point in keeping them separated if Prowl was just going to escape the tank and the other was just going to ram the tank and howl. One of these days Prowl would probably figure out how to open a door and make it to the other tank on his own anyway.


	3. Not Late! Sing Praise of... My Being On Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz gains an archenemy.

“And how are ya today, Prowl? How long are ya planning on shunning me?”  
Prowl shifted around slightly to peer at me over his pod mates tail at me. His pod mate was growling lowly at me like he did everyone, but I swore he liked me the least. He really had an attitude that was for sure. He got on my nerves, but at least he wasn’t throwing anymore tantrums. It was actually kind of funny when we fed them. He had hissed at Prowl when he had started stalking the dead fish as per usual. Prowl however had simply ignored him and ate much to the others annoyance. At least we didn’t have to clean the wasted fish anymore as Prowl would eat it when he felt like it.  
“Well I hope ya can get your friend there to eat something. He ain’t doing so well as it is and not eating is just making it worse. I know you’re mad at me, but I’ll tell ya what. If ya can get him to eat something I’ll slip ya some m&ms when Ratch ain’t paying attention. Well when ya feel better. Can’t contaminate the tank when you’re doing so well.”  
I suppose the glances were better than nothing, but he didn’t seem like he was planning on forgiving me for his situation just yet. Maybe it was being stuck here or maybe it was over how he had to fight with his last remaining pod member. Maybe it was over Blaster and I bringing the MWPA to his door so long ago. It was hard to tell, but I did owe him an apology three times over. The only problem was ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t cut it. It wasn’t like we could have a conversation or anything. So m&ms later and letting him come to me was the best option. The only problem with that was his pod mate was a capital A Asshole. I didn’t doubt he’d rip my hand off if I tried to give Prowl some m&ms.  
“Ya know I really am sorry. But it’s kinda hard to have a conversation or let ya know when your pod mate over there is ruining the forgiving mood with his attitude. I don’t appreciate him growling at me.”  
Prowl was pillowing his head on the others tail now, but he had decided to to watch the birds that were roosting on the dome. Ignoring me again. I sighed and my eyes locked with the other. His more aggressive pod member was curling more protectively around Prowl with another growl. I knew mers would get more aggressive and protective of their pod members after losing a member, but even with the situation this was a little extreme. Maybe he was just naturally aggressive and now that they were the only two left it was just worse.  
Then again maybe he would be in a better mood if he actually ate something. He was starving himself out of pure stubbornness now. I mean he knew it wasn’t poisoned. Prowl was eating it. Prowl was getting better and here he was refusing to eat. At least he wasn’t pacing around as much with Prowl there. If only he would quit blocking him from my view all the freaking time. If anyone came in he’d rush to Prowls side and was always between them and Prowl even though there was a thick wall of glass in the way. Prowl didn’t seem to care too much, but it was just another reason for me to hate him.  
“Jazz, quit glaring at him. You’re making it worse.”  
“I am not. He has had it out for me since we met, Blaster.”  
“And whose fault is that?”  
“What do ya mean?”  
I refused to look away from the mer and Blaster sighed. He had barely spared a glance at Blaster even as Prowl stirred to look up at him. Blaster waved at Prowl and got short sound in response before he went back to ignoring me.  
“See? He’s targeting me. He barely looked at ya. I bet it’s his fault Prowls ignoring me.”  
Blaster rolled his eyes and leaned on the nearby wall. “Or Prowls mad that you dragged him here and his pod member doesn’t like you because you’re antagonizing him.”  
“And just How am I antagonizing him?” I demanded.  
“Well you’re having a glaring contest for one.”  
“We are not having a glaring contest. This is just him being an asshole and me refusing to take it.”  
“Deny it all you want, but you did technically try and harm his last pod member, cause them to fight, and then drag them here.”  
“I did not try and hurt Prowl. We were talking and reconnecting and then he tried to rip my guts out.”  
“Well if you had only one other in the entire ocean that you could count on left and someone from the exact same species that exterminated your home and the rest of your family reached out to that last family member would you be thrilled with that? I don’t think so. You’d probably attack first and ask questions later too… Would you quit glaring at him. Maybe you can get on his good side if you would quit glaring and arguing with him.”  
“I don’t think he has a good side.”  
“You’ll never know if you keep this up.”  
I took a moment and Blaster snorted. He hadn’t even made a move to suggest that he was paying any attention to Blaster at all while we were talking.  
“I think I have an archenemy now.”  
“Oh for the love of…” Blaster breathed. “I’ll see you and your archenemy later then. Bye, Prowl.”  
Blaster turned on his heel and started out. I could hear the soft ‘good grief’ as he left the area. I pointed at him through the glass.  
“I’m watching ya, ya fish.”  
My archenemy lunged and rammed against the tank making me jerk back instinctively. I swore he was smirking as stiffly circled back around. Oh it was on.


	4. Chapter 4! Hooray! And Not Late! Two in a Row!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz gets one over his archenemy.

Things were not going well to say the least. Prowl was still ignoring me. My archenemy was still an ass. Still refusing food and getting weaker. He even had Prowl trying to encourage him to eat now, but no. Still stubborn and refusing anything that could help him. Ratchet and Aid had decided on pulling them out to independently apply the supplements and boosters to their skin. It was really the only thing they could do at this point. Prowl wasn’t going to be needing any more of it soon and pulling him out of the tank would set the other one off. So when we moved them we would just have to move them together and pull asshole out to be treated. So despite the fact that asshole was still asshole and Prowl was purposefully ignoring me I walked in with some pep in my step. Prowl glanced up briefly at my entrance with mild curiosity before my archenemy practically shot to his side. That however didn’t bother me too much at the moment.  
“Ya have no idea what’s coming for ya.” I smirked at the growling mer. “Ya have a special appointment with the doc in about… I’d say ten minutes.”  
Oh yeah he had no clue what was coming. I’d get some time with Prowl without interference. Asshole would be knocked out and too loopy to really do anything even when he got back. Things were looking up and this was going to be a regular thing for a while. Maybe I had nothing to do with this, but he didn’t know that and I had no doubt he’d blame me for his misfortune anyway. This was great. Fish zero. Jazz one.  
“Ya know I really hope they shove some food down your throat while you’re in there too. Gives me some extra time without you here and maybe you’ll be less… You.”  
I got a less than threatening snap. The show of fangs and the look of what I’d place as either hate or disgust was very ineffective. It might be worth more if I wasn’t separated safely by a thick wall of glass. Then there was the fact that he looked half dead already. Prowl was looking between us. Even I could tell he was sick of our little arguments if you could even call them that.  
“Ya know you’d be a lot scarier if ya didn’t look like ya were about to keel over from starvation. Ya look like ya got thrown into a blender or something. Ya keep this up and you’re gonna end up with a tube down your throat and strapped to a table with an IV in your arm.”  
He hissed at me. Scales puffing out in aggression to make him look larger than he was and pulling at wounds that struggled to heal.  
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t do that. I may not like ya, but come on some of those were healing. Keep ripping them open and you’re never going to get out of here. Do ya Really want to see me everyday?”  
My scolding didn’t really do anything to help. Prowl however took it from there. A soft whistle and the larger one glanced back at him briefly before letting his scales fall back into place with a huff. He glared at me like it was my fault he had been scolded by Prowl. I just grinned at him and he bared his fangs again with another growl and hiss. Prowl glided down to rest on the floor of the bare tank with his pod member following closely. At least Prowl knew how to diffuse his pod mate. However the mildly at ease position didn’t last as the door opened. Prowl didn’t move as the other shot up again. He hovered over Prowl as he growled and struggled to keep track of everyone.  
The calming solution mixed in with the water quickly it would only take a few minutes to start taking effect. It didn’t last long, but it would be enough until he was taken to the docs. However despite that we were reminded over and over again that we were to be careful around the aggressive mer. To be aware of all his movements and what not. The same old story every time we dealt with him. Prowl looked like he was going to fall asleep while his pod member practically lay over him now. Prowl didn’t look like he had a care in the world at this point and the asshole was fighting it like usual. It was kind of like he was trying to be mad, but he was failing rather spectacularly. We waited several more minutes before he was pulled out and wheeled down to the med bay.  
“Well that’s that. It went smoother than I thought it would.” Arcee adjusted the collar of her wetsuit. “I thought he’d at least snap at us or something when we were securing him.”  
“Eh. Don’t go questioning our blind luck. Just hope this keeps up for next time.” Blurr responded. “Seemed too focused on blocking Prowl from us like always.”  
“... I think we have a name now at least. Cliff, Mirage, and I were discussing and we settled on a few, but Barricade seems to fit.”  
“Barricade? I still think Asshole works fine.” I scoffed, but all I got was an eyeroll in replay.  
“Well that’s one less thing to worry about. See you on patrol later, Jazz.” Blurr left us and I turned back to Prowl who was still a little lethargic.  
“You’re next, pal, but I doubt you’ll give us trouble. I hope ya can talk some sense in your pod member before he gets himself killed.” I sighed and Arcee decided to respond.  
“You and me both. I doubt he can do much more than try and encourage him to eat. The rest of it is on Barricade. It’s not his fault Barricades so stubborn.”  
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and Ratch will force something into him while he’s at it.”  
“I wouldn’t put it past him. I’m actually surprised that he hasn’t yet.”


	5. Three In A ROW! Whoop!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl does a disappearing act.

Prowl was calm in most situations. He was wary of everyone else on some level yet. He had warmed up to Cliff rather quickly once he started bringing in plants from his trips underwater. I didn’t understand his fascination with underwater plants, but it got Prowl to start seeing him as a friend rather than a stranger or a threat. Prowl even perked up when he came in that point. Barricade was as stubborn as ever, but even he was eyeing him with less malice. He still didn’t like him near Prowl, but he tolerated him enough to not try and bite his hand off or snap at him when he set the plants in the water. Sometimes they were underwater flowers and other times they just looked like useless green leaves or vines. I had no clue what they were, but I’m sure if I asked Blaster he’d know what they were. I suppose it was nice to have something in the empty tanks with them and it only helped that it was something familiar. They had to be fished out every once in awhile, but they weren’t as disturbed by it anymore since something new was brought in within a few days.  
Prowl was cleared a week later and the act of moving them to a new tank was easy enough. Of course Barricade needed to be watched more closely within the new area, but hopefully the medication would prevent infection from anything that was in the main tanks. They made quick work in exploring the new area. Curiously circling around the structures that had allowed and encouraged the coral to grow on them. Examining the sand and plants that grew unhindered. Blaster and I found some amusement in that.  
“That better? I figured you’d be sick of the quarantine tank by now.”  
They seemed to settle in fine. Moving them into a tank that mimicked the ocean life on some level always lowered the stress from being in quarantine from what Aid had explained at some point. Prowl had circled the main coral and rock structure several times now. Barricade had settled between some of the rocks and plants and was watching me like he was a lion hiding in the tall grass to stalk its prey. Still ignoring Blaster as per usual. Prowl had glanced around at the other tanks and the doors. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he seemed pretty focused. Then he circled around a few more times.  
“What is he doing?”  
“Uh… It looks like he’s checking the area for danger.” Blaster answered, but he didn’t seem so sure.  
With another glance around he seemed satisfied and sunk down into the flora along with Barricade. That had been the only time he had ever done that. However one morning we came in to find Barricade alone in the tank several days later. Barricade had been calm as ever as he lay curled up on the sand in front of the coral as he watched us freak out. Sure Prowl was smart, but he wouldn’t just leave his pod member and there was no way he had gotten out without alerting the facility. Then of course Barricade would be pacing again, but he hadn’t moved an inch yet.   
“Shit. Prowl? Please tell me he didn’t jump ship again.”  
“Blurr, go tell Randy to check the cameras.” Arcee ordered as she looked through the glass at the tank.  
“How come I have to deal with Red?”  
“Go.”  
I searched the flora with her as Barricade watched us. He had a pretty smug look on his face. I really wish I could hit him. I mean he was at that point where Ratchet had given the ok for force feeding now so you’d think he would be less chipper. Especially with his pod mate missing. But no he was just laying there and watching us. No hissing or growling even. This was not normal.  
“What the hell…” Arcee breathed in irritation. “He’s Black and white it’s not like he can blend in.”  
It was true. None of this made any sense. Mers don’t just disappear and where could he have possibly gone if he did decide to escape? The front doors were locked so it wasn’t like he could just leave and slip into the ocean and even then he would have taken Barricade with him, wouldn’t he? I glared at the mer in question. He still hadn’t made a move. He was just watching us lazily with a triumphant air about him. No matter how long I glared at him I knew I wouldn’t figure out his game so I went back to scanning the tank.  
“Ok so we need to tell Ratchet. Drug up Barricade. We need to search the tank. There’s no way he could have just vanished.” Arcee decided after another minute only to stop at the buzzing of her phone. “Tell me you have an answer to our vanishing mer?”  
With that we were heading to the security office. Arcee practically threw open the door. Blurr was laughing and that didn’t do anything good for her mood. However if he was laughing then things were fine. Prowl hadn’t just up and vanished.  
“It’s fine, it’s fine. They made a little hidey hole is all.” Blurr waved off Arcee’s questions as he passed.  
We got our answer when we made the attempt to feed Barricade again. Barricade didn’t move, but Prowl had slipped out from behind Barricade and through the seagrass. That was one heart attack causing mystery solved. That smug bastard was still giving me that look. Barricade one. Jazz one. That blasted fish.   
When Barricade was taken out for treatment Mirage had investigated to find that they had dug a hole in the sand under the coral and made a well hidden nest. It was small, but Prowl fit fine and Barricade seemed content guarding the entrance. Apparently they had been digging at night when the other mers had settled and no one was around. That was new...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a bow Prowl. Wonderful magic trick.


	6. And Heres Another One!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz brings Prowl m&ms.

It was a boring run of the mill Tuesday afternoon. Barricade was getting a tube shoved down his throat again as he still refused to eat. Prowl didn’t bother trying to encourage him to eat once they started force feeding, but so long as Prowl didn’t mind then he must be fine. He was healing much better now that they had a little nest. He’d just lay in front of the entrance all day and briefly moved when Prowl emerged. Within another few days we were thinking of trying to merge them with another broken pod. It was a group of three that we’ve had for a while. Five wouldn’t be a complete pod, but with a larger number they could survive out in the ocean. One mating season and a mix with another pod and surely they’d have another in no time. A red mer and a golden mer and a little mini that had somehow gotten into the group. All of them had a bad habit of splashing anyone nearby, but they did it without the intention to harm or make things harder. They liked attention and liked to play with anyone who was willing. They didn’t bite or growl or hiss anymore. The golden mer didn’t join in as much and spent a lot of time grooming himself, but even he had a more playful side. They had, had a bad run in with some hunters and their pod stuck out with the glimmering scales. They were far too brightly colored for their own good and their chosen spot by the reef nearby had given the hunters easy access.  
Quite honestly I didn’t think it was a good idea. Anything that had to do with Barricade was a bad idea. Trying to get him to play nice was an even worse idea.There was no way it was going to go over well. If it was possible I’d find a way to get Prowl to drop his pod member. The mer was way too aggressive and I swear he’d rip anyone or thing apart that entered his space. I could picture him slaughtering Prowl. There was nothing I could do about that and from what I had seen two of the three were fighters. The mini was more of a scout. Checking for danger and looking around stealthily enough to not be caught before returning to tell it’s pod members. The little thing was fast, but unfortunately young and the event had scarred the poor thing. Hopefully when the time came he’d keep away from Barricade.  
“Prowl. I know you’re in there.”  
I sat on the feeding stand as I pulled out the colored bag. I shook it a few times and watched the hidden entrance to the makeshift nest. No response. He didn’t even stir from what I could see. I frowned.  
“I brought ya a treat… Blaster, I need ya!”  
“What? He’s still shunning you?”  
“Quit laughing at me and get up here.”  
“I don’t think m&ms fix everything.” He shook his head as he climbed the stairs.  
“They don’t need to. Just need to soften the blows and warm him back up to the idea of forgiving me.”  
“Right. Of course. How could I have ever doubted you?”  
“I could do without the sarcasm, Best Friend.”  
He however just laughed at me again. “Prowl. Come here, we have a treat for you.”  
And of course at Blasters call he stuck his head out. I held up the color package for him to see and he inched out a little more. Maybe he hadn’t swam up like he usually had, but this was a start and at least he was considering it. I dumped a few of the colorful candies into Blasters palm. He dipped his hand into the water and Prowl cleared the distance with a flick of his tail. It was pretty neat to actually be able to see him so clearly. We thought his movements were graceful and effortless before, but without the mix of sand and other particles that shifted around him in the sea it was amazing to see he barely moved at all. His wing fins would shift the smallest amount, almost like a twitch, and with one flick of his tail he was moving far faster and smoother than it looked like he should have. Each of his movements were precise and not without thought. He knew what he had to do and how much effort he needed before he even moved.  
“So you’re still upset with Jazz? Yeah I know what you mean. He can get on my nerves sometimes too.” Blaster glanced back at me as Prowl took the candy from his hand.  
“What’s that supposed to mean? I am a delight.”  
“Most of the time. You’re persistent, which can be annoying at times, you come up with schemes that are unnecessary in every way shape and form, and of course we can’t forget the fact that despite your chipper, music loving, and friend making personality you can be a devious bastard. Maybe you don’t like your sister too much but apparently you like her enough to prank her ex for a week.”  
“Hey, my ‘schemes’ make people smile. Plus he was an asshole and shouldn’t have dumped her for that slut Lacey. They didn’t even last a month anyway.” I countered with a hint of defiance.  
“Did he really deserve you hacking your way into his school account and replacing his debate report with a history report on pimps and hookers?”  
“Yes. If he didn’t want his account to be hacked he shouldn’t of had his password set as his dog’s name. He bragged about it enough.” I replied and he rolled his eyes.  
“...Your Schemes make everyone uneasy.”  
“Oh really? Because I’m pretty sure my last ‘scheme’ was your surprise birthday party.”  
“You led me into a room blindfolded to get ambushed with silly string and then you mixed mentos in with the ice bucket and way too many times to count someones drink exploded.”  
“Hey it was fun. It was a great party.”  
“Ok yeah it was fun, but I still think you could step back a bit sometimes.” He relented.  
“That’s what I thought.” I grinned as I made an attempt to offer Prowl some m&ms only for him to turn away. “Really? I thought we had something special.”  
Blaster took the chance to laugh at my misfortune once again. I was very tempted to shove him into the tank.


	7. Next!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New mers come in and it isn't pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a sad chapter. Just letting you know.

I was in the middle of talking to Prowl or rather at Prowl since he still refused to forgive me. He acknowledged my presence when I came in, but he had retreated to the further end of the tank. At least he hadn’t hidden himself away in his little nest. Barricade however was glaring at me and I had chosen to ignore him and keep talking. That had appeared to annoy him more than me glaring at him so I had made a habit out of it. However while I was talking about a movie Blaster and I had seen the other day I was called out to the beach. Apparently some fishing boat was attacked and well one thing led to another and now there was a situation.  
I was greeted with the sight of six wounded mers. Arcee was already bitching them out for whatever they had done to get themselves into this mess. Well the ones who were left. A couple were being driven to the hospital for broken bones and scratches. Something about how some areas were restricted for a reason and what not and how someone could have died while Blurr, Cliff, Mirage, and I tended to the mers. They hissed and growled and snapped, but with a quick shot from a dart gun and they were done. One however was so hurt and weak it couldn’t do much but whimper. It appeared to have been shot multiple times and its cries of pain were heart wrenching. Cliff had it drugged out of pity and things were silent the rest of the way back.  
One had so many hooks buried in its flesh it took hours to remove them. Another appeared to have been slashed across its back by the rudder of the boat. Just stemming the bleeding had been a job of its own on the way back. Another had several slashes and scrapes, but wasn’t too bad off. This one had broken a few bones from what the idiots had been howling about. Kept screaming that mers were dangerous and needed to be driven out and killed anyway. The last two were in the best condition and hardly sported any damage at all. One had been tangled in a fishing net and the other had been fighting the net with him.  
The first two were deposited in a tank nearly right off the bat as they just had a scratch or two. Next came out the one who had really fought back in the matter of breaking bones. Next was the one with the slashed back and dorsal fin. Finally was the one who had gotten so many hooks stuck in its belly and arms it nearly ripped itself open. The other didn’t come out that night. Nor the next. Prowl had taken to watching the new mers in the tank behind them. Barricade didn’t bother even though Prowl seemed to be uneasy with something new coming in. Barricade only moved when they stared back with growls and hisses. At which point Barricade glared back and once again put himself between Prowl and the newcomers.  
In their defense half of them nearly died and one of them still hadn’t come back from medbay. They’d howl at night much like Prowl had done when he was alone. No doubt hoping their missing member would answer. They just wanted to know if he was ok, but unfortunately he wasn’t doing well. He was only taken to the tank when he seemed stable enough and it was only for a limited time to keep them from attacking the tank any further. The state of their pod member was not pretty. He was pale and his scales had lost their shine. A great many of the scales had fallen off around the area of the bullet wounds leaving it bare and painfully red and tender. The most worrying was the fact that it only gave soft whimpers and even those sounds were scarce. It was becoming apparent that he wasn’t going to make it.  
Four twenty two am and he was gone. No dying cry. He just stopped breathing and that was it. He didn’t have the strength to put up a fight and he was just gone. One second he was there and the next he was gone. There was no warning. Nothing that could have told them that he was going to disappear like that. They couldn’t bring him back. The corpse was briefly brought to the pod to let them know. They didn’t deserve to go on hoping to their dying day that their pod mate was going to come back. There was no wails nor howls. Just silence. Just more silence. Ever so slowly they drew closer and encircled their lost member. There they stayed until the corpse was taken to be returned to the sea. They didn’t move. They didn’t fight them for the corpse. Just let them take him without so much as a glance. They just stared at the sand with empty gazes. They stayed there and refused food for several days. Then ever so slowly they moved away. One by one.  
They seemed at a loss for what to do now. They ate. They swam. They healed slowly. They growled at the staff. They glared at their neighbors. But they always returned to the spot their pod member had been before they took him away. They didn’t try to make a nest. Just settled around the spot to rest and sleep. It was like a part of them was gone.  
It was things like this that really made me think. How could people intentionally go out and do this? Sure there were accidents and there were times when people didn’t know. Then there were situations like Prowls. Where their nests were intentionally destroyed and the mers were driven out just because someone wanted to build something there. There were hunters that wanted their scales to sell. They purposely found them and killed them for profit with no thought of the family they were splitting up. Of what they were destroying. Even if some of them were assholes like Barricade they didn’t deserve this. They were broken and no one cared.


	8. Dun Dun Duuuuuunnnnnn!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They attempt to merge the two pods and Prowl doesn't like change.

Today was the day. Unfortunately for both parties that Barricade was in the clear for now. A little banged up, but he was much better off. Damaged scales were shedding to be replaced and that was great and all, but they would take some time to actually harden enough to protect him. Some time had been wasted on deciding which group was going to go in first. Sure Barricade was aggressive and two of the three in the other were pretty aggressive when they wanted to be too, but they only had two while the other had three. Mini or not they would be outnumbered and I had no doubt that both groups would notice. Barricade may just decide to attack right away should the others have control of the tank when they got in. He was at a higher risk for aggression and starting a fight so in Prowl and Barricade went. Prowl didn’t take to the new environment too well. Technically neither of them did. Prowl darted about in the new space and Barricade was following him around again, but this had occurred in their previous tank so it wasn’t concerning. Prowl was looking for a safe spot to no doubt hide another small nest and Barricade was being Barricade. We gave them some time and Prowl seemed to have decided on a spot judging by how they had settled in the right hand corner with all the seagrass. They were settling in fine.  
However when the other three got dropped in things got tense. Nothing happened for a minute. They all just stared at each other. Everyone was holding their breath and preparing for the worst. If things got bad then we needed to break them apart fast. A sedative needed to be dropped in and they needed to be pulled out. Barricade looked ready to launch himself at them and I was sure I wasn’t the only one who was really hoping that he wouldn’t. If he started a fight then Prowl would get hurt and possibly killed by the two larger mers. The young little black and yellow wouldn’t be able to handle too much damage as he had yet to actually gain the armor that his pod mates had. His scales were too soft yet to handle a real fight.  
I was learning the little cues that the mers gave off and I’d like to think I was doing pretty good, but Arcee and Cliff both had called a merge off or just walked away saying that things were going to be fine before either of the groups had moved. Both had been within a five minute period, but now neither of them had said a word to either call it off or to reassure that they weren’t going to kill each other. It was just quiet and it was unnerving.  
Chromia had named them a while ago. The little mini was Bumblebee due to his coloration and his love for the underwater flowers. He was friendly. The cherry red was Sideswipe which I’m sure there was a story that I didn’t know about. Then there was Sunstreaker and I figured that was just due to his color because his personality sure wasn’t sunny.  
Then Prowl moved. Slowly. Carefully. Barricade growled and Prowl hissed at him before turning back to the other three. Another slow move forward. Then he stopped. No calls from Arcee and Cliff yet. The mini eased past his pod mates. The other two were still tense. One watching Barricade and the other watching Prowl. However ever so slowly his shifted to Barricade as well.  
“Come on. For once play nice.” Arcee hissed beside me.  
Yep I was not the only one. Apparently this was all on Barricade. Just… Great. This was not going to go well. Barricade was still close to the sand and still looking ready to lung with the way his arms were braced and his tail was twitching. He was dangerously focused on them as they were on him. Prowl and little Bee had been slowly shifting closer. Hopefully they were trying to work something out. They were close enough to touch now, but neither moved. Bee tilted his head to the side with a rather innocent look. The other three still hadn’t moved to attack or withdraw.  
“Back. Down. Please just back down.” Came another hiss from Arcee as she stared at Barricade.  
“This is gonna be another bloodbath.” Blurr spoke in a dangerously serious tone.  
Cliff tensed beside me as Barricade shifted to watch Prowl and Bee. They moved around each other in a close circle. Prowl showing his back to Bee’s pod mates and Bee to Barricade. A show of trust. Either Bee was really stupid or way too trusting and hopeful. Another minute of silence and stillness before Prowl reached out. Bee willingly pressed their palms together.  
That was when everything went to hell. Barricade lunged at Bee. Prowl snatched the mini and curled around him to show his back to Barricade. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe moved quickly in lunging at Barricade who was retreating in his attack when Prowl made to shield Bee. Then they were tearing at each other. Prowl retreated with Bee as they other three fought.  
“Dammit! Go! Blurr, Sedative! Now!”  
Dropping Bee behind a ridge of coral Prowl launched himself over the coral ridge and into the fray. He slammed into Sideswipe with enough force to knock him away, but he easily recovered to assist Sunstreaker. The two were doing rather well in tearing Barricade apart. Barricade screeched when Sunstreaker tore one of his wing fins. Prowl was trying to break it up. Sunstreaker gave a howl of pain as Barricade raked his claws down his tail. The water was turning red. Prowl hissed when Sideswipe slammed his tail into him successfully batting him away before turning back to Barricade. That was when Bee raced from his cover to assist. Prowl and Bee were doing their best and failing to make the three stop, but it was the sedative that made the fight stop.  
Prowl and Bee were fine. The other three were covered in claw marks and bites. They were brought back to their own tanks once the other three were taken to medbay. Prowl and Bee had gotten along fine and I had no doubt that Prowl would have done just fine with merging if Barricade hadn’t of been there.  
“So damn close to an understanding.” Arcee slammed her fist on the wall in her frustration. “Maybe they wouldn’t have merged, but they would have tolerated each other and shared the space. But no. He had to ruin it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have fucked up now, Barricade.


	9. Next Up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barricade is still an asshole.

It was safe to say that we weren’t going to do that again. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were brought back to their tank a day later and seemed to be healing well enough to be left to their own devices. They were acting much more lethargic for obvious reasons and Bee had been bringing their share of the food to them instead of them getting it themselves. Prowl on the other hand was pacing about the tank. Barricade had been practically torn apart and was making things difficult in the med bay for Ratchet and Aid. He had to be sedated nearly all the time because he’d struggle and snap at them. Hissing and glaring whenever they even looked at him. His wing fin had to be rewrapped several times and bled plenty each time he tore it back open. He’d howl and screech each time he ripped it back open and that would set Prowl off. He’d whistle and pop his head out of the water and on occasion he’d even look at me for an answer. Blaster and I had tried to reassure him, but that only went so far.  
I didn’t understand why he didn’t just stop. I mean he was only hurting himself. It wasn’t like Ratchet and Aid were doing anything to hurt him. Aid especially was much more caring and easy when it came to taking care of him. But still he threatened Aid all the same. Maybe they couldn’t speak the way we did and maybe they had no clue what we said, but they weren’t stupid. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what he was doing. He knew that they weren’t going to hurt him. He knew and yet out of pure stubbornness he fought them. He clawed at his bandages. Wiped off the medication whenever he got the chance. Tore off the splint that held his wing fin in place.  
“What is your Problem?” I snapped at the mer one morning.  
He was glaring at me as per usual, but it had a little less bite than normal. He had lost plenty of blood this morning. Again. I didn’t even want to think of what he was costing the facility with his attitude.  
“Just what are ya trying to do? What is the point of this?”  
My gesturing at him had earned a growl, but I could not care less than I already did. The only reason I was here was for Prowl. Not him. Prowl was upset and if getting him to knock it off would help then I was going to damn well try. As much as I hated it, if Barricade got himself killed just because he was being difficult then Prowl was going to suffer for it.  
“This isn’t helping anyone and certainly not ya. What exactly are ya hoping to accomplish? All you’re doing is hurting yourself and Prowl. I bet ya didn’t think about that. Whatever ya do affects Prowl too.”  
He didn’t even look slightly bothered by what I was saying. Even if he had no clue what I was saying he knew what Prowl was at least. Prowl had been trying to reach him and since Prowl could hear him from the tank I had no doubt he could hear Prowl too.  
“Then there was the thing with the tank. What were ya thinking? Things seemed to be going pretty well from where I was standing. It was your fault that ya got hurt. It is Your fault that you’re in here. Prowl was doing fine with Bee. And ya know what? The other two weren’t even bothered by Prowl. Their only problem was ya and how ya wouldn’t back down. Can’t ya just Not be yourself for five minutes? Things would have gone fine if ya hadn’t of done anything. Ya might even have a bigger pod and be back in the ocean if ya had just left them alone. But no.”  
I stopped a moment to glare back at him with a huff. He was not looking good, but he still had to go and growl and glare at everyone. Didn’t he get sick of it? Didn’t it get tiring to keep this up?  
“I don’t like ya. I mean I Really don’t like ya. I wouldn’t care too much if ya kicked it, but Prowl needs ya. So ya really need to get over yourself and start being a little friendlier or you’re never going to get out of here. Just quit being an asshole for a while, huh? If not for yourself then do it for Prowl.” With that I turned around and left.  
444444444444 Nooooo! The Fours Have Returned!4444444444444  
It was hoped that if he was returned to the tank that he would quit ripping off his bandages. Or at least Prowl could convince him to knock it off. But that hope was in vain. He tore at them and on more than one occasion he got around to ripping off the splint that kept his wing fin in place. Prowl had been trying to clean his wounds and even hissed at him for touching the bandages. It seemed that on more than one occasion they were arguing, but since it never turned physical no one tried to stop them. Barricade had made several half hearted swipes at Prowl whenever he had tried to clean or check his wounds, but he always ended up letting Prowl fuss over him. He just lay there and pouted when Prowl rewrapped the wounds.  
It was a cycle I’m sure Prowl was getting sick of even with his seemingly unlimited patience. Barricade would rip off the bandages and tear open his wounds again in the process and then Prowl would argue with him and rewrap them, putting pressure on the wounds until the bleeding stopped. Then it would happen again. My little lecture hadn’t done a damn thing and no matter what anyone did or said he refused to stop. Refused to even try to be semi passive. Always growling and hissing and snapping. He was going to kill himself if this kept up. Then Prowl was really going to be alone. Why couldn’t he just stop?


	10. Welllp...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't going well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning here. This is bad.

Barricade was less like himself. Sure he’d growl and he’d threaten anyone who came by, but it was done in such an odd mix of exasperation and a tired fashion that it was a cause for concern. He tore at the bandages and everything, but it was with less drive. It was more out of stubbornness and habit than anything that he kept doing it. He seemed far too tired to try much harder. He spent a lot of time on the sandy bottom and barely moved. He even just let Prowl rewrap the bandages without a fight. To make things more worrisome than they already were Prowl had taken to laying with him rather than within his nest.  
Barricade glared at me as per usual when I walked up to the tank. I chewed on my lip as I watched him back. His eyes didn’t have as much fire in them as per usual. I touched the tank and he just narrowed his eyes. No growling. No lunging. He did not look well. Thankfully he had another appointment today. I leaned on the tank with a sigh.  
“Just what have ya gone and done to yourself this time? All ya do is cause trouble. Can’t ya just… I don’t know, not? I mean look at yourself. You’re not doing that well the way you’re going it. Prowl’s worried. Aid’s worried. Arcee and Blurr are worried. Everyone’s worried about ya here. I mean this is starting to bother me. Sure I’m more worried about Prowl if ya kick it, but I don’t want ya to just die either.”  
He hadn’t moved through my little one way chat. He just watched me. Prowl had draped himself over Barricade long ago and had refused to move. He would occasionally pull out a loose scale. Barricade normally didn’t like it when he tried to groom him and would make little grumbling noises until he was done, but he was silent this time around. Just letting him check and recheck without so much as a twitch. That had been a big red flag. Then of course there was the fact that their neighbors had been looking over at them more and more often. Now it was near constant watch. Prowl didn’t pay them any mind. He had been ripping apart the fish and bringing the scrapes to Barricade for a while before he even stopped doing that.  
“Ya know maybe if ya actually tried to heal you’d be fine right now. I don’t know what possessed ya to go and do this, but you’ve really got yourself in a bad situation now. I can see the signs here. You’re really not yourself and add that to the guys next door watching ya and being more passive toward ya and I’d say with confidence that ya ain’t doing so well. I really hope ya didn’t do any permanent damage here. That’ll be another reason for Ratch to curse ya. Ya know you’re his worst patient he’s ever had. He keeps cursing ya and swearing that you’re Trying to kill yourself. All he does now days is complain about ya. That just means he cares though, but then again once ya get better he’s gonna hit ya so hard you’ll forget what ya did. I mean your ass is grass. No joke.” I chuckled to myself as I let my gaze linger on the door. “Ya had better pull through though. I mean think about it. Ya can possibly have another go with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Then of course ya could see the sea again. Just Think about it. Traveling the ocean with a complete pod again. Hunting and finding a new spot for a nest. There’s a lot of things ya will be missing out on if ya kick it now.”  
He didn’t so much as twitch. That halfhearted glare had fallen like he was far too tired to keep it up. He just stared back at me with a dull and near lifeless expression. He really needed some help and hopefully he’d let them help him this time. Barricade didn’t even move to fight us. Prowl on the other hand had. Though it wasn’t aggressive and he didn’t do any damage physically. He whined and pleaded and followed us up to the top. He gave a heartbreaking cry when we took him. The other mers watched silently and it was a relief to finally shut the door.  
44444444444444444 The Fours Are Gaining More Numbers! Fight Back! Take Back The Writing Government!4444444444444  
Prowl paced and whined, looking at anyone who came in for answers that we didn’t have. Nothing that was good anyway. Barricade had opened and reopened his wounds so much that he had left himself open to illness and infection from what normally wouldn’t have done any damage. Pair that with the blood loss and how he refused to eat and was forced on a regular basis and he was in worse shape than any of us had thought. His wounds leaked a sour smelling pus and he whined when they were cleaned. His wing fin had a deep infection due to the damage. It was easier the prevent infection than to get rid of it, even I knew that.  
He didn’t fight them and Ratchet was unnaturally quiet as Aid rambled on and on to himself under his breath. That was enough for us and we didn’t know what to tell Prowl. But Prowl had caught on and made it clear that he didn’t want to wait. His neighbors that had recently lost a pod member watched him intently as he leapt from the water onto the feeding stand and pulled himself down the steps and to the door. He had apparently been watching us and had figured out the doors because he pulled down on the handle as he leaned on the door as we rushed toward him. He dropped when he got it open a crack and pushed it open the rest of the way. He shoved at us with hisses as we dragged him back to the tank. He had done that on more than one occasion and now we had to have someone there at all times to watch him when the doors weren’t locked.  
Barricade on the other hand was quiet and none of us were even mildly surprised when he passed. When we brought the corpse to Prowl he didn’t move for a while. When he moved to look over his pod member he froze halfway there. Then he did something that none of us expected. He jumped up onto the ledge with us and shoved himself into me with a broken cry. Clinging to me when I moved with another broken sound. Begging me not to leave him... So I held him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent two days going over pros and cons. Even though he was an asshole it kind of hurt to kill him off... But if he stayed then Prowl wouldn't have been able to get close to Jazz again even if he did forgive him.  
> Then one day I went to my doctor for anxiety and college homework and then another day I spent eating pie and watching netflix. So... That's why I'm late. And it's not over yet so relax.


End file.
